Alternate ending to the events of Shell Cottage
by bootsm
Summary: What would have happened if Hermione got stabbed by the daggar instead of Dobby?


Harry POV

They landed hard, with sand all around them. Dobby quickly turned to harry before any of them could really process what was going on.

"Harry Potter you are now safe. I must go. Good luck Harry Potter sir." And with that he was gone with a pop.

Harry didn't even get the chance to say thank you for saving their lives, but all thoughts of who sent dobby and how he knew where to find them faded when he began to think of Hermione. When he got to her he saw that Hermione was crouched over and Ron was rubbing her back trying to get her to talk to him.

"It's okay. We're safe now. We're all going to be okay….. you're going to be okay." Harry said in an attempt to also calm her. Even though he knew that what she had just had to endure would most likely emotionally scar her for the rest of her life. He hated himself for even letting them touch her. He made eye contact with Ron and knew they were thinking the same thing. Right then Hermione looked up and tears were streaming down her eyes as she whimpered "not this time". She then cried out as she pulled Bellatrix's dagger from her stomach. She then fell into Ron who was holding her in a sitting position from behind. As Harry saw Hermione covered in blood his mind went numb, but was reawaken by Ron "NO! Hang on Hermione you're going to make. Don't you dare die!" He then looked at Harry "We need to get her inside to Fleur. I'll pick her up and you apply pressure to try to stop any more blood lost."

Harry did as he was told, as soon as his hands made contact with Hermione she screamed, but then fell in to unconscious.

RPOV

Ron picked her up in bridal style and began to make his way to shell cottage. Hermione was light but he had to go slow so Harry could keep walking backwards while applying pressure. He knew they had to stop any more blood lost if she was going to survive. Ron looked into her face and cursed himself from not being able to stop this from happening. Her face no longer had color in it and he knew she was getting closer death. He couldn't lose her not after all the words that were still left unsaid between them.

When they walked through the door Fleur immediately processed the gravity of the situation and proceed to act. "Take her to the bedroom where you stayed Ron, I'll be right there. Keep applying pressure."

Ron sprinted up the stairs with her and laid her in the bed he had been sleeping in just months before. Harry checked her pulse and looked grim. "It's weak" was all he could manage because they both looked down at their friend and saw the blood that continued to spread over her body. Fleur then came into the room with Bill at her heels. She immediately got to work muttering charms under her breath and pulling potions out of her bag. Bill ushered the boys out of the room and told them to clean themselves up, there was nothing left for them to do but wait.

Harry and Ron went into the bathroom across the hall. When Ron looked into the mirror he froze. He and Harry were both covered in blood and it was neither of theirs. He then broke down right there in front of Harry, which he was not the slightest embarrassed. He felt Harry's hand on his back and looked into his friend's face and saw tears running down his face too. "She's tough she'll make it," but he could tell that even Harry didn't believe his own words. Ron had never felt so helpless in his life before. The girl of his dreams was tortured, assaulted, and was now bleeding out across the hall and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it. Every time he or Harry was injured, or needed help Hermione was right there with a solution, but the one time she needed them they had nothing to offer. They cleaned up, changed clothes, sat down in the hallway and did the only thing they could, wait. Bill soon came out to talk to them, his face looked grave. "Fleur was able to regain a pulse but it's weak, she's lost a lot of blood and her body isn't healing like it should. Was she tortured?"

Harry responded first, with words that caused him nothing but pain to say. "Yes, by Bellatrix. She tortured her for a long time."

"That would explain it. It also looks like she was kicked multiply times in the stomach. She has quite a few bruised ribs and two broken ones. But she is stable now, still unconscious, but alive. You can go in there to see her."

Ron silently thanked his brother for not asking questions he knew they couldn't answer. He wanted nothing more than to confide in the brother that he had always looked up too. But just like when he came to him at Christmas, he couldn't. Bill seemed to receive the message because Ron felt him pat him on his back on his way into Hermione's room.

Fleur was cleaning up when Harry and Ron walked in. Fleur looked exhausted from all the charms she had to produce. "There is nothing left I can do for her, we just have to wait and see if she wakes up," Fleur said in a grim tone and then exited the room. Ron looked at Hermione who was as pail as the white sheets she was laying in. She looked so fragile, like she could break at any moment. Ron sat down as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm so sorry Ron, this is my fault. If she doesn't make it…" He saw Harry put his face in his hands.

"No, this is that horrible women's fault, this is you know who's fault, but this is not your fault. And Hermione's strong, she survived being petrified in our 2nd year, that curse in our 5th, and she'll survive this. She's fighting, the fact that she's still breathing is proof of that. She has to make it." Ron said all this with his eyes on Hermione.

"You need to tell her." Ron didn't even need to ask Harry what he was talking about so he just let him continue on. "Tonight just shows how much we're in over our heads and anything can happen. We can't afford to leave things unsaid. You've stayed silent for years already." Ron nodded his head in response; Harry had just voiced everything he had been thinking.

They continued to sit in that room for the rest of the night, waiting for any sign from Hermione. They talked about Dobby and how they now owed their lives to him, and why Bellatrix was so concerned about what was in her vault. The thought that Hermione would probably have a good theory to answers these questions only pained them. Around 2 in the morning they finally fell asleep.

They both woke up the next morning with stiff necks, with still no sign of Hermione waking up anytime soon. They decided to take shifts throughout the day, so if she did wake up one of them would at least be in the room. Unfortunately it didn't matter because nothing had changed. Hermione was as still as ever, with her weak pulse still beating. Fleur said she was in some type of coma and that she should really be at St. Mungo's but that was obviously not an option. Ron was worried. What if she never woke up? Fleur said it happened sometimes. He was glad Fleur wasn't sugar coating anything for them, but maybe some things were better left unsaid. He couldn't afford to lose Hermione like this.

Two days had gone by without any change. It was Ron's turn to sit with Hermione, he woke up this morning thinking today was the day that she would wake up. He felt hopeful as he noticed she had regained a little bit of color in her face. But every day that Hermione didn't wake up only added to Ron's hatred of Bellatrix, if that was even possible. Hermione's screams still echoed in his head and haunted his dreams. Sometimes when he was alone with just his thoughts he had to catch himself before walking out the door and back to Malfoy Manor to kill Bellatrix. Ron was just thinking about this idea once again with his eyes closed; he was starting to dose off again. He then sensed movement from the other side of the room; Harry had gone to the bathroom and hadn't returned yet. He didn't want to get his hopes up so he slowly opened his eyes and was extremely pleased when he saw Hermione stirring. Ron rushed to her side.

"Hermione?"

She only groaned at first but the managed to say "Ron". He couldn't resist he hugged her like he never hugged anyone before. She was awake and alive. Suddenly the world seemed okay again and Hermione was back. She let out a moan and Ron quickly let go realizing she was probably still really sore.

"It's okay." She wore a weak smile, her eyes were now fully opened, but looked more confused than ever. She reached for Ron's hand and Ron gladly accepted it. "What's going on? Where are we?" She croaked all of this. Her voice hadn't been used at all since she screamed herself horse two days ago.

"We're at Shell Cottage, and we're all fine Dobby saved us."

"Why don't I remember any of this?" Hermione asked as she tried to sit up more but winced in pain and whatever color she had regained drained from her face.

Ron helped her sit up. "Careful, some of your ribs are still healing. And you've been out for two days…"

"Yeah I thought I felt something crack when she kicked me the second time," She saw Ron's face fall. "But you're okay? You and Harry aren't hurt?"

"Bloody hell Hermione! Are we hurt? You're the one who was tortured, bled half to death, and was in a coma for two days." Ron then ran his hand through his hair, which was what he did when he was worried and Hermione knew it.

"I really am okay Ron, I promise." She smiled at him and he looked into her brown eyes and returned the smile. He wanted to tell her everything right then and there. How sorry he was that he allowed Bellatrix to even touch her, how worried he had been over the past few days, and how terrified he was of losing her because he loved her. He always had.

Just then Harry walked and a huge grin broke out across his face when he saw Hermione sitting up in bed fully awake. "Good to have you back Hermione."

The three of them continue to talk late into the night. They even laughed at times and it felt good to be back together. It felt right. Ron was really hesitant in leaving Hermione when it was time for bed but she assured him that she would be fine and bided him goodnight.

When Ron woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water, he had a sudden urge to check on Hermione. As he approached her room he heard sobs, and Hermione yelling out. He quickly ran into her room and realized she was dreaming.

Ron rushed to wake her up by rubbing her back. "Hermione wake up, it's a dream. You're safe, it's over."

She realized it was a dream and Ron was sitting on her bead. She just looked at him and broke down. She sobbed into his sweater and he held her, whispering soothing words.

Hermione's sobs started to subside. "Every time I close my eyes I relive it."

"She'll pay for what she did to you" Ron assured her and then got up to leave.

"Please don't go."

"I'll be right back, I promise." Ron sprinted to the potions cabinet and pulled out a bottle and then ran back to Hermione.

"This should stop the dreams." He handed her the bottle.

Hermione drank it and mumbled "Thanks."

"I can stay if you want," Ron silently hoped that Hermione didn't hear what he said just in case she didn't want him too.

Hermione nodded "I don't want to be alone."

Ron got into her bed and laid there with Hermione sleeping in his arm and nothing had ever felt so right.


End file.
